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bgalivan
Participant
May 18, 2017
Answered

Captioning image

  • May 18, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 4061 views

I am literally at the end of my digital rope. Beyond frustrated.

I want to insert images into a technical document, type in a caption for each image, and have them automatically numbered Fig1, Fig 2, and so on.

I have tried this with inline images, anchored images and floating images. Does not work.

So a simple question to quickly solve this problem.

  • Enter to create a blank line after a paragraph
  • File | Place to insert an image
  • Create static captions is checked
  • The image is there
  • No caption, no way to put a caption

I have wasted hours and hours of time on this. If I go to a page with no text frame on it, I can place an image, enter a caption, then copy and paste it back into the text frame were the affiliated text is located. Not quite sure how to phrase this, but that is a ridiculous solution. I need to be able to place the images, add the captions and have them auto-numbered.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer barbara_a7746676

You make an excellent point. Unfortunately, the caption feature is limited. I have a long list of features I'd like to see incorporated into InDesign.

In the meantime, we try workarounds. You could place the image and caption as free-floating. Select both the image and caption. Group them, then cut and paste them inline with the text.

Alternatively, you could place the graphic inline as you normally would, create a new blank line under the caption, type the caption and apply the Figure paragraph style.

You can request enhancements to InDesign at Feature Request/Bug Report Form

2 replies

barbara_a7746676
Community Expert
barbara_a7746676Community Expert
Community Expert
May 18, 2017

The automatic captions feature does not work with inline graphics.

If you place a free-floating graphic and choose Create State Captions in the Place dialog box, your cursor will be loaded with both the graphic and the caption. Click once to place the graphic.  Click a second time to place the caption.

In order for the captions to be numbered, first create a paragraph style with the numbering that you want. Bullets and Numbering should be set up something like this:

Then, in the Links panel, choose Captions > Caption Setup.

In the Captions Setup dialog box, you can specify the Paragraph Style you want to use.

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bgalivanAuthor
Participant
May 18, 2017

So I was able to do that, but I must be really missing something. If InDesign is a publication tool, where I can write books, guides, etc., If I want to do what I think would be a pretty normal action - have a captioned graphic linked to a specific place in my text, I cannot do that? They either have to be free-floating constructs that I have to manually move around as I work on the text, or they have to be sans captions?

barbara_a7746676
Community Expert
barbara_a7746676Community ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
May 18, 2017

You make an excellent point. Unfortunately, the caption feature is limited. I have a long list of features I'd like to see incorporated into InDesign.

In the meantime, we try workarounds. You could place the image and caption as free-floating. Select both the image and caption. Group them, then cut and paste them inline with the text.

Alternatively, you could place the graphic inline as you normally would, create a new blank line under the caption, type the caption and apply the Figure paragraph style.

You can request enhancements to InDesign at Feature Request/Bug Report Form

Willi Adelberger
Community Expert
Willi AdelbergerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 18, 2017

Auto numbering fails often if the captions are not in the thread. That's why I anchor images with auto numberd captions in the text thread.

To keep images and caption together I have different means:

  1. Group the caption's text frame and the image together, anchor the group into the text thread.
  2. Put image and text in a 2-cell table either the table is running in the text or it is in its own text frame, then anchor that text frame.
  3. Anchor image and text frame separately into the story.

Never use enter to create a blank space, use always space before and after in paragraph styles.

An automatic caption text frame has to touch the image.

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bgalivanAuthor
Participant
May 18, 2017

Willi, I can't even get a caption to show up with an image unless I do it outside of where I want it to end up. Beyond counter-intuitive.

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